Darneille: “Ready to vote yes, Capital Budget is what a bipartisan budget should look like”

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Senate today announced its proposal for the 2015-17 Capital Budget. The budget proposal includes many important infrastructure investments in the 27th Legislative District.

“The Capital Budget is clearly the product of what a bipartisan budget should look like,” said Sen. Jeannie Darneille, D-Tacoma. “From the first meeting up until the final printing of the budget, Democrats and Republicans worked together. I believe that we will see those efforts reflected in a bipartisan vote when it passes off the Senate floor.”

The Capital Budget invests in affordable housing loans and grants, increased funding for mental health beds, an increase in K-12 school construction funding to meet the demands of smaller class sizes, and invests in water infrastructure. The Capital Budget also invests in local projects to improve the quality of life across the State of Washington.

“There are hundreds of good local projects for communities throughout our state,” said Darneille. “The two areas of concern, at this point that I see, deal with providing additional funding for clean energy and the fact that we are going into debt by bonding our public works infrastructure projects. There is a tradeoff to these decisions, and while going into debt is not ideal, it does free up additional funding for more projects.”

Some of the projects in the 27th Legislative District include:

• Classroom renovations at the University of Washington Tacoma Urban Solutions Center;
• Improvements to a section of the Prairie Line Trail behind the Tacoma Art Museum;
• Support for creating more mental health inpatient services beds through a joint venture with Franciscan Health Systems and Multicare;
• Upgrades to the heating system at the Balfour Dock building, which will allow the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum to operate year round;
• Support for the Eastside Tacoma Community Center;
• Funding renovations of the façade at the 100-year old Pantages Theater;
• Upgrades to the Washington State Historical Society; and
• ASARCO cleanup from the Tacoma Smelter Plume

“I am very happy with the projects in the 27th Legislative District that were funded in today’s Capital Budget proposal. I’m ready to vote yes.”

The $3.9 billion proposed Senate Capital Budget will invest in projects statewide that improve and provide community construction projects, maintenance at state facilities, land and recreational area preservation, and infrastructure investments.

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For the complete 2015-17 Capital Budget proposal, click here.